A Passion for Fire
by Auryn Rei Evroren
Summary: What happens when your best defense is turned against you? Follow Kirishima Kanna as she uses her skills in ways she never imagined in an epic battle against the evil Kuronosu council. Who knows if any of us will see the Koubu the same way again?
1. Initiation

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 1: Initiation**

"_I knew you would return for me, William!" _cried the lovely young woman, tears streaming down her joyful face. Her lover, a tall, redheaded warrior, looked back at her with the kind of love experienced only in fairy tales. _"Just as I knew I could never leave you, Annette,"_ he replied, clasping her hands in his own._"Then we may be married? Your father gave his blessing?" "Indeed, both are true. But even if he hadn't, Annette, I would still have come back."_ Annette threw her arms around him, and rested her head gracefully on William's shoulder. _"Oh, my dear Annette,"_ he murmured softly, stroking her chocolate-brown hair. _"Promise me, William,"_ came Annette's quiet voice._"Promise me that we will be together forever."_ The answering chuckle was low and soft. _"We'll be together much longer than that, Annette. I promise it."_ As the lovers held each other sweetly, the curtain slowly descended, and the audience began to applaud.

The familiar smirk crossed Kanzaki Sumire's face the moment she stepped offstage from her final bow. Behind her, grinning broadly, Kirishima Kanna removed her dress jacket and placed it on the dressing room mending pile (it had ripped a small seam during the ferocious combat scene). "Another show well-done, Cactus Woman," Kanna said. Sumire tossed her hair and raised an acknowledging hand. "Of course it was wonderful,_Kanna,_ I was the star. Even when forced to work with a virtually talentless amateur like you, Kanzaki Sumire never fails to perform excellently for adoring fans. And _don't _call me_Cactus Woman!_" "That was _beautiful_, Sumire!" squealed little Iris, golden locks bouncing. "Yes, a very good performance," added Maria, from her place by the window. "Kanna, your skills have improved." Kanna grinned at her best friend. For most, a compliment from Maria was not too common, and definitely not to be underestimated, but for Kanna, this was less so. Maria found it easier to speak to the muscular Okinawan than the rest of the Hanagumi.

"Good work, everyone!" The whole group turned around to see their Vice Commander, Fujieda Ayame, enter the dressing room. She was out of uniform, a thin silk overcoat draped loosely over her shoulders, her hair up in the usual sleek, businesslike bun. Behind Ayame stood the three members of the Kazegumi: Kasumi Fujii, Yuri Sakakibara, and Tsubaki Takamura. All three of them wore broad smiles. With them was another good friend….

"Kayama!" exclaimed Iris and Kanna at the same moment. Iris wrapped her arms tightly around Kayama's leg, as the taller woman enfolded the head spy in a customary bear hug. "Where've you been?" Kanna asked, ruffling Kayama's hair. He laughed good-naturedly, attempting to pry Iris off his leg, with little success. "A little bit of everywhere, actually," was Kayama's response, along with a characteristic wink. "Great show, by the way. It's a shame Ohgami didn't get to see it." The Captain had been sick in bed for the past three days, and was hardly able to even get out of bed, much less come down to the theater.

Maria Tachibana stood up and crossed over to say hello to Kayama as well. "Greetings, Kayama," she said, a tense smile appearing on her face. "Hello, Maria. It's nice to see you again. You too, Sumire," replied Kayama. Sumire glanced up from her mirror, where she carefully removed her stage makeup. "Hello." Ayame spoke up again, this time, her voice lower, more intense. "We've dragged Kayama in for a special mission, which the Commander will brief you all about later. For now, though- where are Sakura and Kohran?"

"Sakura is watching over the Captain," Maria answered tonelessly, "-and I suspect Kohran is working with the Koubu. There was enough damage in the last battle for Kohran to be busy repairing Koubu for a week or more." Ayame nodded, and opened her mouth to speak, but Sumire cut her off. "I think a damaged Koubu is a sign of nothing less than carelessness in battle. If you'll notice, _my_ Koubu has hardly a scra-"

"_You know what we used to say on Okinawa,"_ Kanna interrupted loudly. "'It's a false victory that isn't paid for in blood'- or in this case, metal. Face it, Cactus Woman. You didn't get hurt because you didn't fight hard enough."

"I _beg_ your pardon-"

"Enough!"

That was Maria, who had never been one to sit through Kanna's and Sumire's arguments. "Kohran will get the Koubu fixed, and that will be the end of it." "How long will it take, Maria?" asked Iris, having finally switched her grip on Kayama's leg for one on her special teddy bear, Jean Paul. "I do not know, Iris," Maria replied, returning to her window seat. "You will have to ask Kohran."

"Come with me, Iris," said Kanna. "We'll go see Kohran, and Sakura, and find out what's going on. Anyone else want to come? Maria?" The tall blonde Russian looked up from her outside gaze, and shook her head. Sumire simply stood up and walked out. The others muttered about other things that needed doing, and slowly began to disperse. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid," Kanna said with a smile. "Let's go." Clutching Jean Paul closely, Iris skipped out of the room, with the tough redhead right behind her.

-

Sakura did not look good. Her face was pale, and her usually tidy hair and kimono were mussed. Her weariness emanated from her place beside Ohgami's bed. "Sakura, man, you gotta get out," stammered Kanna. "You'll kill yourself in here all the time." Iris nodded agreement. "I can't," said Sakura hoarsely. "He's not well yet." Kanna grabbed the girl's upper arm, and dragged her to her feet and out the door, into the hallway. "You're no good as a nurse if you make yourself sick too. Go ask Kasumi to take over, and_get some rest_." Kanna put both hands on Sakura's shoulders, facing her. Her expression was firm, but kind. "I mean it." Iris piped up, "Go to sleep, Sakura, and then come eat with us. Big Brother will be okay, you will see!" After a moment's hesitation, and several glances through the door at the ill captain, Sakura nodded. She was too weak to fight either Kanna or common sense, and both were against her. Relieved of her duties, Sakura staggered off to find Kasumi.

-

Kanna and Iris found Kohran, as expected, down with the Koubu. As usual, a series of bangs and whistles heralded her descent from Iris' Koubu. "Hey there, Kanna, Iris!" she greeted them with her usual unending optimism. "I'm almost done with your Koubu, Iris. By the time I'm done, it'll be physically strong enough to match your_reiryoku._ So, what can I do for you?" "We came to check on the Koubu repairs," answered Kanna, as Iris rested a shy hand on her bright yellow Koubu. "When do you think it'll all be finished?" Kohran studied her projects carefully before she answered. "Well, yours and Sakura's are already done," she informed Kanna, pointing. "I'll have Iris' done by morning, which leaves Maria's, Ohgami's, Sumire's, and mine. I can get mine and Sumire's fixed in a day, maybe less, but Maria's and Ohgami's will take about a day each." Kanna stared, amazed. "Maria said it would take a week," she said. Kohran laughed, and shrugged. "What can I say? The damage wasn't as bad as we thought, and I'm pretty handy with a screwdriver." She adjusted her glasses, and was preparing to return to work when they heard Ayame's announcement.

"_Imperial Flower Combat Troop, please gather at the command center immediately."_

Eager to hear about Kayama's new assignment, Kanna and Iris left at a run. "Hurry up, Kohran!" called Iris, as the mechanic followed, a questioning look crossing her face.


	2. Discovery

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 2: Discovery**

"We have received intelligence of a breach of the Imperial Theater during the dress rehearsal before tonight's show."

The entire company stiffened. "What do you mean, Vice Commander?" intoned Maria. Ayame looked at her, eyes somber. "I mean that someone unknown to us entered and exited the lower levels of the Imperial Theater without immediate detection. By the time we identified it, the show was already going on. Did you think Kayama saw the whole thing? He came in at intermission." Ayame stepped back, and Commander Yoneda took her place.

"Now, there are only two real motives for our enemies to want to get in here. To attack us, or to plant or steal something. Let's not forget what happened last time we had a bomb planted here." Maria and Sakura looked away. _They_ remembered quite vividly. "We can rule out the possibility of attack," continued Yoneda. "-since they left without so much as a peep." Maria's head snapped back up. "That leaves planting and thievery. We need to know who it was, and what they left or took." Ayame took over again.

"Maria, check the practice combat rooms and the library. Kanna, the kitchen and dining room. Iris, recreation areas and locker room. Sumire, the theater and backstage area. Sakura, check the lobby and courtyard. Kohran, do the Koubu repair and storage rooms. Everyone check your own rooms. This wouldn't be the first time an enemy has gone after a single person." Maria looked away again, but, this time, she did not look up again. "Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, different, or missing. Commander Yoneda and I will be inspecting Shogeimaru, and anywhere else we can think of. Meet us back here in three hours. I'm sorry to keep you all up all hours, but this really must be investigated. Orders clear?"

"Yes, Vice Commander!" chorused the Hanagumi.

"Then move out!"

As they trooped out towards their destinations, everyone was thinking the same thing: _What can this mean?_

-

_Smart of Ayame to put me here,_ thought Kanna as she examined the contents of the Imperial Theater's kitchen. _And Maria in the library, and Kohran with the Koubu…she put us all in the places we know best. Strange, though- nothing seems to be missing except a couple bottles of sake. And I think I know where _those_ went._ Pausing only long enough to snatch up an apple from the bowl by the door, Kanna strode out of the kitchen, her inspection finished. She now headed for the downstairs library, where Maria probably was.

-

Kanna walked through the library door…and straight into Maria. They staggered apart, Kanna laughing. After steadying herself, Maria asked, "Kanna, what are you doing here? I thought you were to check the kitchen and dining room." "I was," Kanna said, not knowing why exactly she felt so sheepish. "I finished." Maria shook her head. "Did you check your room?" Kanna clapped a hand to her forehead. That explained the weird feeling. "I _knew_ I forgot something!" Where most people would have laughed, Maria simply smiled. "You didn't _know_ anything, Kanna. Now let's-"

Her words were cut off by a loud, high-pitched scream. The two women exchanged a frantic glance, then raced out of the room, towards the Koubu repair room.

"_Kohran!"_

-

No….no…_no_…

Kohran sat on the floor in front of her damaged Koubu, clutching her knees to her chest. Between her legs and torso, one could see the edges of a thick canvas cover. Maria rested a hand on Kohran's shoulder as the doorway behind Kanna filled with the rest of the Flower Division. Ayame rushed forward and embraced Kohran, holding her carefully. She knew the only thing that would send the little genius this far off the edge. Kohran was strong in her knowledge, but her emotions were a different story. "It's the blueprints," Kohran sobbed into Ayame's shoulder. "The plans for the Koubu. That's what they stole."

The reaction all around was instantaneous. Maria's hand retracted to her chest like lightning. Iris clung to Kanna, as the Okinawan braced herself against the doorjamb, her face dumbfounded. Sakura looked close to tears. Ever uncaring, Sumire did her best to keep her dismissive expressions, but everyone could see the anxiety in her eyes. "But- Kohran," Sakura said timidly, "You know _everything_ about the Koubu. Can't you make new blueprints?"

"It is more serious than just missing plans, Sakura," said Maria, her low voice colder than usual, a sure sign of her worry. "Whoever took the blueprints now has access to all of our Koubu's features, and it is that much easier for them to defeat us in battle. They could even build their own Koubu, given the right resources."

"I just don't understand who would want to plans for the Koubu. No one uses them but us," said Sakura, shaking her head sadly. Only Kohran, still wrapped in Ayame's arms, heard the Vice Commander's soft whisper. "…yet."

"How could they build their own Koubu?" Sumire had spoken up. "The only place with enough materials and resources to do such a thing is Kanzaki Heavy Industries, and they work for _us_." Kanna glared at the stuck-up girl. _Even in a crisis, she always finds a way to bring all back around to her, somehow,_ she thought wryly.

"It is imperative that we retrieve those blueprints as soon as possible," said Ayame in her command voice. "Most importantly, we must discover who took them." She raised her voice a bit higher. "Yuri! Tsubaki!"

"Yes, ma'am," chorused both girls, already in position at the computers across from the Koubu.

"Scan this room for the usual signs of known enemies, Tsubaki. It's extremely unlikely, but, Yuri, check for Wakiji residue." Ayame stood up, bringing Kohran with her. "Sakura, you and Iris make sure Kohran gets something to eat, and some sleep. Everyone, we have until 7 a.m. to do what needs doing, including sleep. Meet at the command center in uniform at seven. We'll have orders for you them. Clear?"

"Yes, Vice Commander!"

-

Kanna lay in bed, awake and restless. This had never been part of the enemy's plans, to get that close to the idea of a Koubu. What could the Hanagumi do, even if they discovered the thief? They could never ignore the work of the Kuronosu council long enough to fight a whole new enemy; the Tempu-Seki were too valuable. But what if it _was_ the Kuronosu?_Stop it,_ Kanna told herself firmly. _You're a warrior, not a tactician. That's Ayame's job, and Maria's. You just wait for orders, and then act. The Commanders are working up a plan, which means you don't have to. Now stop being an idiot and sleep._ Even so, it was hours before Kirishima Kanna was able to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut, and finally fall asleep.

-

"Vice Commander! Enemy residue identified?"

"And?"

"Not good, ma'am. It's Satani."


	3. Action

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 3: Action**

"_What_ did you say, Commander?"

Sumire's gasp was most uncharacteristic. She stood at attention, between Maria and Iris. Ayame was positioned at the head of the room, Commander Yoneda beside her. They, along with the Kazegumi, appeared not to have slept at all. "Satani has struck at our strongest point, but from our weakest angle," said the Commander. "But we must get those blueprints back, and stop whatever it is that Satani plans to do with them." Attention turned to Ayame when she spoke. "That is Kayama's special mission. Luckily, we know more sending him out now that we would have if he'd left yesterday. However, he will not be alone. With him in the infiltration and attack will be Kanna and Kohran, and myself, to some extent. Maria will assume command here as rightful Deputy Captain, with Sumire, Iris, and Sakura. You four are charged with taking care of Captain Ohgami, restoring him to full strength when he is well, and becoming battle-worthy as quickly as possible. The field group may need your help. In the meantime, practice on your own. This mission will probably not be too lengthy, so we may have to work without Ohgami. Field squad, we leave tonight, directly after dinner. You have until then to be ready. Orders clear?"

"Yes, Vice Commander!"

Kanna made sure to hang back after the meeting, until she and the two commanders were alone. Before she even thought they had noticed, she was caught off-guard by General Yoneda. "Yes, Kanna, what is it?" he asked, plainly wanting to get back to his office. _And his sake,_ thought the muscular woman automatically. "I was just wondering, sir, why you picked me for the field operation. I'm no spy. Maria would do a better job out there-"

"No, she wouldn't," Ayame interrupted calmly. "We need Maria's command skill here, while Captain Ohgami is out of action. The only way the base group will get any fighting in is if the field squad gets into trouble. In that situation, Maria is one of the few who can truly keep her head and command. That's part of why we picked her to be our first Captain." Ayame shook her head, and walked over until she was facing Kanna. "Kanna, did you even _think_ about your assignment? Kayama is a spy, and a decent fighter, but he doesn't have the same skills or experience that you do. You'll have Kohran there, but she's an engineer, not a warrior." The Vice Commander rested a hand on Kanna's arm. "You have a _passion_ for fighting, Kanna. This mission will be dangerous, and you may need that passion, that _fire_, to keep you and your comrades alive._That_ is why you were picked for this mission. Can we count on you to watch out for Kohran and Kayama?"

Kanna straightened up, and nodded. "Of course, Vice Commander." She turned and walked out, but she was not far enough away that she didn't hear Yoneda's next words.

"This could be a _very_ interesting mission."

-

Kanna was just tossing the last of her spare clothes into her pack when she heard a soft knock at the door. "What?" she called, unsure if she really wanted company. The door creaked open, and Iris' clear blue-violet eyes blinked innocently through the gap. "Oh hey, Iris," said Kanna, a little less cheerfully than usual. "What's goin' on?" The little French girl edged inside silently. Kanna was surprised to see that, for once, Iris was not in the company of her precious teddy bear. "Jean Paul does not want you to go, Kanna," Iris whispered, close to tears. "Iris sees it. Fire, and danger. You should stay home, with Iris and with Maria." She choked back a sob, and ran at Kanna. The redhead knelt down and caught Iris in a tight hug, holding her close. She froze in that position for several moments as Iris slowly calmed down. "Now look here, Iris," she said quietly into the girl's hair. "I can't stay with you and Maria. I wish I could, really, but I have to protect Kayama and Kohran. They need me, Iris." It felt strange, supporting the same point of view that she had questioned only that morning, but Kanna knew that Ayame was right. Releasing Iris, Kanna leaned back so that she could look the little girl in the eyes. "Can you stay here, Iris, and take care of Maria and the captain for me? They'll need your help." Iris sniffed, nodded, and hugged Kanna again. There they stayed until Maria's sharp rap on the door told them it was time for lunch.

-

The next few hours passed as a haze for almost everyone. Before they knew it, Kasumi announced dinner with a shaky voice. Maria and Kanna sat alone, in near-silence, for neither could come up with anything appropriate to say. They ate little, which was no surprise for Maria, but for Kanna, it was a sure sign of her nerves. At the end of the meal, Ayame stood up.

"Field squad, prepare to move out."

Kanna stood up, and watched as Kohran gave everyone one last hug, then followed suit. Maria was last; it was hard for Kanna to leave her best friend. She and Maria almost never fought without each other. Only the Russian's firm hug gave Kanna the strength to walk out without looking back.

-

The field squad began by taking the Thunder Ship to the Residential District, and heading off from there. Kayama was leading, briefing the womenfolk as he went. "We're going to be underground, if my suspicions about Satani's location are correct. We believe he is hiding almost directly underneath the northwest section of Ginza." Ayame nodded; Kanna grunted; Kohran continued to stare at the ground, as she'd done ever since they'd set out. "The old train tunnels under there are no longer in use, which is a typical hideout style for the Kuronosu council," Kayama continued. For the first time in hours, Kohran spoke up. "We know we're after Satani, but what happens if Setsuna is there? Rasetsu? Or Crimson Miroku?"

Kayama paused, unsure how to answer, but was saved the problem by the Vice Commander. "I've left Maria instructions on how to go about initiating a distraction. It is unlikely that Satani will be without help. The base force will draw away the attack, giving us a bit more leverage room." Kanna started at the sound of this plan. "How do they know when to attack?" she asked, less calm than the others. Ayame answered from a distance, it seemed. "They don't," she said. "We gave them a specific time in which they are to attack, and one way or another, we must be ready when they do." The subject fell from there, and the field squad trooped onward. The walked in silence for quite a while. The air was thick and unmoving. The sheer intensity of everything was driving Kanna mad. _Must be worse, for Kohran. It her plans they took, after all,_ she thought to herself, and hung back to talk with the small genius.

"Kohran…you okay?" The girl was startled, having not noticed Kanna. She took a deep breath, then spoke. "No. I'm not okay. Think about it, Kanna….this is Satani we're talking about. Why would he want the plans for the Koubu? He's got his minions for the brawn to his brains. I think Ayame was right, the only reason for this would be to create an army of Koubu. They'll turn them to evil, Kanna. I don't know if I can take it." Both young women shuddered. Kanna could see why this mission bothered Kohran so much. She loved the Koubu more than anyone, and it only made sense that the idea of warped Koubu would upset her.

"Hey," Kanna said, giving Kohran a one-armed hug. "Everything'll be just fine. We're gonna kick some bad guy ass, get your blueprints back, and go home without a single scratch for Sumire to make fun of, okay?" Kohran stared at the ground for a long moment, then seemed to pull herself together, and nodded. "Let's go," she said, readjusting the pack slung over her shoulder. Kanna grinned, and the two of them walked more quickly to catch up with Kayama and Ayame.


	4. Encounter

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 4: Encounter**

Iris came running the moment she heard the _crash_. On the stage, she found Maria and Sumire staring each other down, Sumire standing above Maria, who was on her back in a collection of cleaning supplies and props. Both held long wooden poles. Sumire held hers in both hands, pointed at Maria as if to run her through. Maria's pole was held horizontally, in a defensive position. The expression on her face was calm and collected. Sumire, in stark contrast, looked murderous. All three of them- Maria, Sumire, and Iris – froze, and no one spoke. It seemed that Sumire had not even noticed Iris enter.

"Iris. Stay where you are." Sumire's head snapped around when Maria spoke. In a flash, Maria was on her feet, her pole trapping Sumire's diagonally against the floor. Her eyes were dark, cold, and fathomless. "I believe Sumire forgot that we are practicing _stage_ combat," she breathed icily. Sumire closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath, then stepped back. Maria released her pole, and swung her own vertically behind her back.

"I'm sorry, Maria. I got carried away." Sumire leaned her pole against the stage's left-hand wall. Maria simply nodded, and said, "I understand." Setting her pole next to Sumire's, Maria walked off the stage, and out the side door, toward her room. Iris gazed at Sumire, who looked lost, as if she suddenly found herself in a place she did not wish to be. Without a word, Sumire turned and went into the dressing room, and closed the door. Iris watched her go, then went after Maria, holding Jean Paul tightly.

-

Maria's door opened the moment Iris knocked. The tall woman stepped out into the hall, saying, "Yes, Iris, what do you want?" The little girl looked rather concerned. "Maria," she asked, "What is wrong with Sumire? Why is she angry?" Maria took a deep breath, then got down on a level with Iris, and explained. "Sumire was upset because she does not see why Kohran and Kanna were put in the field squad, and she was not. She let go of her emotions during practice, and made a mistake." Iris shook her head, eyes confused. "But- but why _was_ she kept here? Why are we not all helping Kayama?"

"We are," said Maria coolly. "We are to attack in two days, as a diversion, and that is how we are helping. We can only hope that the field squad is in position by then."

-

The field squad camped out above the hideout location that night. In the morning, Ayame left them. Her job was to approach from a different angle, and shut down as much as she could of the Kuronosu's electricity and steam power. Kayama was to get in and locate the blueprints. Kohran would study them and anything else they found, just in case, so that she could know the enemy Koubu as well as she did their own. Kanna, of course, was the protective brawn. She was uneasy about letting Ayame go off on her own, but Kanna knew that the Vice Commander could protect herself just fine. Now, of course, there were other things to be concerned with. Kanna was currently on her knees, leaning over an old manhole, wrestling with the rusted lid. When it finally came off (with more noise than was at all desirable), she dropped through it to the ground eight feet below. There she remained crouched, listening carefully for any sound other than the distant _drip…drip…drip…_of a steam pipe leak. When she was satisfied, Kanna signaled to Kayama, who dropped like a cat. Kohran followed, not nearly so graceful, and landed on her butt. They all took a good look around. The small band was in a long tunnel, a cement arch with ruined railroad tracks running down the center. The metal was bent and twisted out of shape, and the wooden planks were old and rotten. Along the sides of the track, Kanna could see footprints in the dirt. She knelt down, and tested the earth with her fingers. "Kayama. These are fresh." The head spy nodded, and helped Kohran up off the ground. Kanna looked up at him.

"Do we follow them they came from, or where they're going?" she asked in a low voice, so as to avoid being heard. Kayama paused for a moment, then decided. "Going. They were obviously going there for a reason, and we need to know why." Kanna nodded, and the three of them set off silently down the tunnel. All of them knew just how important it was that they not be detected, so no one spoke for several minutes. It was dark in the tunnel, and hard to see, but all three of them were used to it, and their eyes adjusted quickly.

_You can almost __feel__ the evil here. It's everywhere, _Kanna thought as she listened out for anything odd. That was when she heard Kohran cry out. She spun around, and caught the girl as she fell forward, having tripped over a jutted-out piece of metal from the track. The sound of Kohran's voice echoed down the tunnel, all around them. Kohran clapped a hand over her mouth, but the damage was done. Kayama and Kanna noticed a growing light at the tunnel's end.

Like ants whose anthill has been kicked, they scrambled to find places to hide. Suitably dressed in his usual uniform of black, Kayama simply slunk over to the shadowy wall and froze, pressed against it. He blended in perfectly. Now Kanna could hear voices. Looking quickly up, then back down, she grabbed Kohran around the waist and literally _threw_ her up, towards the arching side of the tunnel. The smaller young woman was luckily able to catch hold of the stone outcropping that Kanna had sighted. She wavered dangerously, but then regained her balance, and stayed absolutely still.

Kanna glanced around frantically, trying to find somewhere to hide her bulk. _Come on, c'mon!_ she thought desperately, as the voices and light grew louder and brighter. Finding nothing of better use, Kanna dropped to the ground in the dirt trench beside the tracks. She rolled in the dirt, trying to mask the reflective red and white of her uniform. The light stopped moving and the voices paused; Kayama, Kohran, and Kanna all became stiller even than death.

_"Did you hear that, Rasetsu?"_ The cold, high-pitched voice chilled Kanna's blood as sweat ran down her forehead. _"I thought I heard a little girl scream. Didn't you?"_ A low growl told the hidden spies that Rasetsu obviously agreed. Kanna risked moving her head just enough to look up a bit, and her fears were confirmed.

_Setsuna._

So the little demon boy was back again for another encounter. Well, he was going to get one hell of a fight, if Kirishima Kanna had anything to say about it. There was no more time for thought, though. Kanna found herself being roughly dragged up by the back of her jacket. She kept her head down, knowing that Setsuna and Rasetsu might recognize her if they saw her face. As she expected, Kanna's arms were twisted up behind her back, and she felt Rasetsu's hot breath against the back of her neck.

_"Well, now, what do we have here?" _breathed Setsuna, as he looked her over. Kanna was careful not to look at Kayama or Kohran, sure that the demons would notice. If Setsuna chose to probe her mind, though, they were doomed. Kanna felt Rasetsu grab the back of her hair, and growled when he wrenched her head back so Setsuna could see her face.

_"You're right, Rasetsu. It's the 'tough' little coward from the alley."_ Kanna roared at the insult, and lashed out with her feet, determined to get free. Startled by her sudden action, Rasetsu slackened his grip on one of her arms. Kanna yanked it free, and used that fist to slam into the pressure point just above Rasetsu's elbow, releasing her other arm. She settled into a fighting stance, but was surprised by Setsuna's evil laughter. _"Come now, little tough girl. We've had enough of this game. Where are your little dollies, and your friends?"_

"If they're smart, they're miles from here," Kanna said acidly. She swung at Setsuna, who disappeared just as she would have hit him. She dropped her arm, waiting for the sound that would give him away. There! Kanna turned to her right, smashing into Setsuna's face, breaking his little demon nose. He screeched, and gestured above Kanna's head. She spun on her toe, and felt a crashing blow against the side of her head. She lost consciousness before she even hit the ground.


	5. Intensity

18

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 5: Intensity**

_Aw, man…what happened? My head…this much pain should be illegal. Holy crap…_

"Kayama! She's moving!"

"Kanna- Kanna, can you hear us?"

Kanna rolled over onto her side, trying to ignore the throbbing headache, and threw her hands over her ears. "Five more minutes, Maria," she grumbled. "Go away."

She opened her eyes when she heard the combination of relieved sighs and hysterical laughter. Kohran was leaning over her, feeling her forehead. Behind her, Kayama was doing all he could to keep from rolling on the ground. Kanna glared at him. "What's so funny, _Kayama?_" He stopped, and looked at her.

"Nothing, really, I guess. I just really needed something to laugh at, and that's the first even slightly funny thing I've heard since we set out on this suicide mission." Kanna took a better look at where exactly she was. She, Kayama, and Kohran were surrounded by dirt walls on three sides. The fourth side was a solid metal gridlock. They were in a prison cell. "So I got us caught, did I?" she asked bitterly. Both of her companions were quick to stifle that thought. "Kanna, you didn't get us caught!" Kohran protested. "It wasn't your fault at all. If it was anybody's, it'd be mine." Kanna just waved her hand at the genius, a pained look crossing her face. "Don't get all freaky on me, Kohran, this headache's enough." Kohran settled back, mollified for the moment, but Kanna could see that she was not at all satisfied with Kanna's reasoning or thoughts. "Just tell me what happened," was Kanna only request.

"After you fell," explained Kayama, "Kohran got so surprised that she dropped. Setsuna entered her mind. I don't know what he did-" That was where Kohran interrupted, her disappointment in Kanna evaporated. She, unlike most people, had no problem talking about the majority of her problems. "He made me think that Kayama was a Wakiji." Kayama nodded. "That makes sense." Kanna raised herself up so she was sitting with her back up against the dirt wall. "So anyway, Kohran attacked me, and got me picked up by Rasetsu. He had me trapped, I couldn't move at all. Then they brought me here, and left again. I think they knew that Kohran wouldn't go anywhere as long as she couldn't move you," said Kayama.

Kohran smiled. "Jeez, Kanna, wanna lose a few pounds? We could've gotten away." Kanna grinned sarcastically. "Ex_cuse_ me, but this is pure muscle. Maybe if you had some, we'd have escaped." This felt so wrong. They were in the worst possible situation right now, and all they could do was crack _jokes?!_ Kanna shook her head to clear it, and gestured to Kayama to continue.

"We've been here for about three hours," the spy told her. Kanna did the calculations in her head. They had approximately 23 hours to get in position before the base-force Hanagumi attacked.

-

Sumire prowled around her room, knocking things from their places left and right. From outside the door, Sakura could hear her annoyed muttering, as well as the crashes of several breakable items. _"What does that stupid Amazon have that I don't?"_ Sumire kept asking herself. Sakura pressed her ear to the door, trying to hear. Eavesdropping was wrong, and she knew it, but she just had to know what was going on with the Hanagumi's richest and snobbiest member. This was a big mistake. The next thing she knew, Sumire had opened the door, and was yelling her head off, as Sakura fell flat on her face. "SAKURA! What do you think you are _doing?!_ Eavesdropping is NOT to be permitted! Now explain yourself, before I go to the Commander!" Sakura hung her head in shame, and blushed deep scarlet. "I- I'm sorry, Sumire, it was just- well, I was worried about you, and I heard you breaking things, and I'm so sorry I eavesdropped! I'll never do it again, Sumire, I'm sorry!"

The slightly taller girl looked down her furious nose at Sakura. She reached forward, and took iron hold of the front of Sakura's kimono. "Sakura Shinguji. If I ever catch you eavesdropping on me again, you will never again perform on our stage, or fight in our battles. My business is my own, and no one else's. Have I made myself perfectly clear?" The dangerous tone in Sumire's voice sent shivers down Sakura's spine. "Yes, Sumire. I'm so sorry." Though she was still unsatisfied, Sumire let Sakura go. As the frightened girl fled down the hall to Captain Ohgami's room, Sumire glared at Sakura's back.

_My business is my own._

-

"Kohran, can you get us out of here?" Kanna asked. "Of course, silly," was the cheerful reply. "I worked it out while you were sleeping." Kanna flipped the genius a fairly rude gesture, as Kohran went digging through her pockets. Finally, she produced small smooth-edged strip of steel. "Metal file," she explained, and went to work on the gridlock's edges. Kanna ruffled her hair. "That's my favorite genius," she said with a smile. "Don't bother cutting it all away- just free up the sides." She flexed her muscles experimentally, then examined the cell door. It would be easy to bend metal that thin. Kohran and Kanna exchanged an evil grin. Now it was time for Kanna to do what she could to make up for what she still saw as _her_ earlier mistake.

Within minutes, a corner of the gridlock door had been folded up like a piece of paper, and the fugitives were nowhere to be found.

-

Vice Commander Ayame Fujieda leaned against the corner of two walls, timing her run. She had found the correct entrance to the inner levels of the enemy hideout; now all she had to do was get in. Demon guards, two of them, patrolled the corridor Ayame had to cross. If it came to it, she could kill them, but it would be much easier not to. Her breath came much quicker than she really wanted; the Vice Commander was panicked. She wasn't fighting Satani- she was fighting _Yamazaki._

_Ayame! Pull yourself together!_ She scolded herself. _He's not Major Yamazaki anymore, and you would do well to remember it. That life is gone._ Ayame placed a hand to her head, breathing slowly. She couldn't be professional about this if she kept drifting back to the past. She straightened up and dropped her hand to her side, shaking off unwanted thoughts. Once again, she peered around the corner. One of the demons was gone. _Why?_ Ayame wondered suspiciously. To be careful, she watched in silence for a few minutes, to be sure that the absent guard would not soon return. As she watched, an idea came to her. Picking up a nearby rock, Ayame threw it as hard as she could at the metal cable box she saw off to her left. As she had hoped, it hit and made a colossal noise, which sent the remaining demon guard speeding over to the box- and out of Ayame's path. _Shame- they've got such power, and no brains to use it with,_ the woman thought as she crept across the corridor to the door. _Then again, if they were smarter, even the Hanagumi couldn't take them on._ Ayame's luck was in- the door opened smoothly and silently, and closed well before the demon guard returned.

Ayame stared into the darkness. The room had no natural light, and her calm search for other means of lighting the place produced nothing. _This is no help._ Ayame felt along any surface she found, trying to identify something, anything. A- a table. And two chairs. A slightly curved, cool thing, rather large….that suddenly came to life.

Light flared, and Ayame stepped back in horror. Black Koubu, five of them, faced her, lights turned on her as a target. Their main holds weren't nearly as spherical as the Hanagumi's, and were shaped more like a horizontal diamond with rounded points. The lights gave off an eerie glow unlike the warm light that Ayame knew so well. All in all, these enemy Koubu were terrifying. Ayame felt behind her for the door handle, but her hands found only air. She planted her feet more firmly and braced herself, ready for a fight.

Strangely, though, the black Koubu did not come after her. They didn't even move. Ayame froze, and for several, tense moments, all was still. They analyzed her; she analyzed them.

"Ayame- Fujieda."

The voice was whispery, but robotic. Looking up, Ayame saw black and purple lightning dance around the grill of the closest Koubu.

"Not- Harm. Re-port."

Satani had used some dark power of Ten-Kai to make his monsters speak, as the dumb Wakiji had never done. And, for some odd reason, had commanded them not to attack her on recognition, but merely to report her presence. _Report her presence._ That last thought sent Ayame running for the door, time being of the essence. Luck was still with her, for the demon guards had not returned, nor had anything else answered the black Koubu's report as of yet.

Ayame raced down the dirt halls of the underground maze, taking the memorized turns that would lead her back to relative safety. She wasn't quite as quick as usual, for the encounter with the black Koubu had stolen her surprised breath. _Left…left again…right…straight ahead…_The blood pounded in her head as Ayame picked up speed. Finally, she reached the metal ladder that climbed up to the above-ground hatch that she had used to enter. She was halfway up the ladder when she felt the hand grab her ankle.

Ayame drew back her hand automatically to strike whatever had grabbed her, but her curled fist met only a familiar large, taped palm.

_"Kanna!"_

"Go, _go!"_ whispered Kanna, shoving Ayame up the ladder. The two of them climbed quickly, Kanna nearly falling upward through the hatch. Ayame closed it as fast as she could, and she and Kanna raced toward the abandoned fire ring of last night's campsite, where the tiny figures of Kohran and Kayama waited for them in the distance.

-

A calm hand touched Sakura's shoulder, making her jump. She turned around and saw Maria standing behind her, staring past her at Captain Ohgami, still in bed, sick as ever. "How is he?" Maria asked her, her lovely Russian accent thick with weariness and worry. Sakura stood up, and shook out her kimono. Maria drew her away from Ohgami's bed, so they would not wake him. "I don't know what to do for him," Sakura confessed, her eyes swimming with unwept tears. "He woke a little under an hour ago, and he recognized me, but all he said was my name. He's been asleep ever since. I can't tell if he's getting better or not-" She was cut short as the Deputy Captain pressed a finger to her lips. "Listen to me, Sakura. We have eight hours until we must be ready to attack Satani and his underlings. At the moment, you are not in proper condition to fight. You need to rest, and train. Here is what I want you to do: Go to your room, and sleep. I will come get you in three hours, and we will prepare for battle together." Maria paused, thinking something over. Then she spoke again. "I have to ask you, Sakura- when we go to battle, will you be able to fight?" Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but Maria held up a hand to silence her. "I know how much your captain means to you." She swallowed with difficulty, for this was harder than she had expected. It was like talking to a younger Maria. A better Maria. "You cannot let Captain Ohgami's condition hinder your skill or your willingness to fight, in any way. It sounds easy to put him from your mind, but I can tell you it is _not_. Can you set your concern for him aside in the midst of battle?" The look in Maria's eyes was a familiar one to Sakura. It was the face she wore every time she took command. She meant business.

Sakura took a moment to think before she answered. She looked back and forth between Captain and Deputy several times, then decided. She slowly drew her hand up to her forehead in a salute. "Yes, Deputy Captain. I can fight- for Ohgami."

-

The silence that had stretched over the last day and a half was getting under Kanna's skin, along with many other things. Here they were, _this close_ to the enemy base, doing absolutely nothing. Contrasting Kanna's natural will to fight, that was bad enough. Even worse than _choosing_ to do nothing for the good of the mission was this feeling of being completely useless.

_I can't. Believe. I. Failed._ Kanna could not stop thinking. She stood some distance away from the small campfire, where Kohran sat studying the recovered blueprints, while Ayame and Kayama talked in low voices.

_They bring me here to protect them, and all I've done is get us all in trouble. Why did I let them talk me into this mission? I knew I wasn't cut out for it. I shouldn't be here._ Kanna's anger with herself was unbearable. The 'conversation' with Ayame of hours before still haunted her mind relentlessly.

"_The- the black Koubu-"_

"_I know. I saw."_

"_You saw?!"_

"_Yeah. Kohran said that's where they kept the blueprints, so I went and took them."_

"_That explains the bulge under your jacket."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Did they recognize you?"_

"_What? No…"_

Kanna sank to her knees in the darkness, and leaned forward, fists to the ground. The words in her mind rippled uncomfortably.

"_Ayame- why did you go in there by yourself? You didn't know what was there, how did you know you weren't walking into an ambush?"_

"_I didn't."_

"_You should have had backup. I should have been there."_

"_Kanna, I can protect myself just fine. Your job is to look out for Kohran and Kayama. Which I notice you weren't doing."_

_Kanna's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in intense anger._

"_I was coming after you, Ayame! Kohran said you'd show up eventually, so I was making sure we could find you and get out of there before they noticed anything weird!"_

"_By coming after me, you deserted your post, leaving Kohran and Kayama susceptible to any attack the enemy might have thrown at them."_

_That word stung her more than anything…__**deserted**_

"_I am NOT a deserter."_

"_Be careful, Kanna. The others know why you were brought here. What will it look like to them if you return with one less comrade than when you set out?"_

"_I won't let that happen, Ayame."_

"_Prove it to me, Kanna. Don't leave your assignment again."_

Ayame, Kayama, and Kohran all looked up in shivers when they heard the pounding on the ground that signified Kanna's intense workout regime. Not one of them dared interrupt her. They knew that she needed to get her anger out now, or it would lead to trouble down the road.

"Oh, Kanna," Kohran whispered, as she stared out into the darkness that came to close to swallowing up her tormented friend.


	6. Arrangements

**_A note about this chapter: The characterization may not be quite as on-cue as the other chapters, but please bear with me! If you have suggestions, please leave them! Thank you so much._**

**_-Auryn Rei_  
**

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 6: Arrangements **

For once, all was _not_ quiet. Sumire, Iris, and Sakura stood in uniform in the command center, overseen by Commander Yoneda, who looked nothing more than amused at the goings-on.

"You're on thin ice, Sakura, so I suggest you try _not_ to mess anything up on the battlefield-"

"I know, Sumire, I promise I won't-"

"What are you talking about, Sumire?"

"I'm _talking_ about the likelihood of our little _eavesdropper_ here-"

"Sumire, I said I was sorry! That's not-"

"No one tells Iris anything!"

"Well it's none of your _business_, you little"-

All three young women fell silent when Maria entered; her tall, commanding figure reminded them all of the days when _she_ had been Captain. Today, she assumed the role again. She strode in, and took up Ayame's usual spot at the head of the room, facing her comrades, hands clasped behind her back. Sakura, Sumire, and Iris immediately stood at attention, erect and waiting for orders.

"We are to attack in two hours," Maria stated clearly, though they all knew it already. "The location of Satani's force is indeed beneath northwest Ginza, in the abandoned train tunnels. We must be very careful, because we cannot be sure that the field squad is entirely in position. _Think_ before you attack, and we should be fine." Sumire met Maria's eyes squarely, as though she felt that comment was directed at her. She wasn't wrong. Calmly, the Deputy Captain blinked, and looked away, back to the group as a whole.

"The other problem we face is that of the Koubu, more specifically, mine. Kohran managed to get everyone's Koubu fixed except Ohgami's and mine before the field squad department. I-" Sakura gasped. "But, Maria! How are you going to fight if-"

_"May I finish,_ Sakura?" The smaller woman gulped, and hung her head. "Yes, Deputy Captain," she murmured softly. "As I was saying," Maria continued, "I will be fighting on foot, with the assistance of Iris." She nodded at the little girl, who smiled. No one saw Maria's gloved fist clench behind her back. Someone like Sakura, or Ohgami, would have requested more help, but Maria was too proud. She was, however, enough of a veteran fighter to know when she would be crushed on her own. She would probably end up needing Iris' protection and aid. Between them, she and Iris would make Satani pay for stealing the Koubu plans.

"Here is our attack formation, assuming that the field squad is in position. Kohran will be waiting above ground, in sight. Sumire, you will join her, and the two of you will be the above-ground attack. Sakura, your partners are Ayame and Kayama- they'll be waiting at the original western tunnel entrance, if all goes well. You three will attack from the western border." Sakura and Sumire nodded, but, on the inside, Sakura was nervous. She would be fighting with two people on foot. What would Maria say if she let anything happen to them? What would _Ohgami_ say? _Then I must not let anything happen,_ she told herself decisively as Maria kept giving orders. _If Iris can keep Maria safe, certainly I can take care of Kayama and Ayame._

"Iris, you and I will attack from the north, also underground," Maria was saying. "We'll take the tunnel's emergency shaft. Kanna will meet us there." Iris nodded as well, eyes bright. Maria went on to explain the method of attack. "All of us will be fighting to get to the center of the enemy base, but we have an extra job to do on our way. Thanks to the Kazegumi's scans, we know the locations of the main power generators that power the Kuronosu's steam works. One has already been shut down. That was most likely Ayame's doing. The second generator is very near the field squad's planned entry point, and its destruction falls to Kohran and Sumire. The exact coordinates will be left for you in your Koubu, Sumire. The third generator is near the southernmost part of the base, and that will be Sakura's job, along with her partners. Once again, coordinates will be left in your Koubu. The fourth and last generator is just northeast of the central target, and Iris and I will destroy that one on our way in."

Maria looked her force over very carefully. Sakura, while still not in peak condition, looked much better. After their training session, Maria knew that she was physically prepared. It had been fun, watching the young swordswoman's face when she saw her tall Russian friend advancing on her with one of Ohgami's borrowed blades. Sakura had long wondered what Maria's amazing reflexes would do with a sword- now she knew all too well. It explained why Maria had always been so good at stage fencing.

Then there was Sumire. Maria worried about her. The snobby girl was full of anger, and everyone in the room could sense it. That was part of why the Deputy Captain had put Sumire with Kohran, whom she wasn't nearly as likely to blow up at. Maria only hoped that Sumire could quench her temper and silence her tongue for as short a time as this battle.

Iris' _reiryoku_ was stronger than ever. As usual, she was prepared to use it all for the sake of her friends. Normally Maria would be worried about the little girl, fighting alone with nothing but spirit energy, but this time Iris wouldn't be alone. Maria would have to protect her in exchange for her own security and safety. It wasn't the most pleasant battle arrangement, but it was the most practical, and the safest.

"Maria?" The woman blinked at Sakura, then shook her head, coming back to the present.

"Everyone check your Koubu and make sure it is fully active and prepared for battle. The Kazegumi and I will be loading Kohran's and Kanna's Koubus onto Shogeimaru. When you are ready, let us know, and we'll get the rest of them. Orders clear?" Sumire started at the all-too-familiar phrase. If their voices weren't so different, she would have sounded exactly like Ayame.

"Yes, ma'am," she girls responded.

"Then move out."

-

"Kanna? Are you okay?"

Kanna ignored Kohran's questions, choosing instead to continue gazing into the distance toward the Imperial Theater. She was perched on one of the stronger branched of a medium-sized tree near the camp that Ayame and Kayama were swiftly packing up.

"Kanna, don't just ignore me. Answer the question!"

With an annoyed sigh, the fiery redhead vaulted off the branch, landing solidly on her feet, facing Kohran. "No. I'm not okay. Now leave me alone." She turned to go, but the smaller girl caught her arm. Seized by fury, Kanna tore away and spun to glare at her friend.

"Kohran, just _leave me alone!_ Isn't it enough that I've done nothing but screw things up since we got here, and I _deserted_ you and Kayama?! Is it too much to ask to get some time _alone?!"_ Her voice was loud enough that Kayama and Ayame heard her instantly. They both continued to work after an exchanged glance, but listened closely to the discussion from that point on.

Tears sparkled in Kohran's eyes. "Is that what you think, Kanna? That you screwed up?" Kanna met her gaze for a long moment, then broke away. "I don't know," she muttered, bracing one hand against her tree, once again looking east, toward the theater. Kohran stepped forward, and laid a hand on Kanna's shoulder, calming her rapid breaths. "Kanna, what happened in the tunnel wasn't your fault. It was mine. If I hadn't screamed, the whole operation would have gone smoothly as butter. So don't blame yourself for that- what else could you have done?" The only reply she got was a cold shrug.

Not wanting to give up until she knew everything, Kohran kept going. "What made you think you _deserted_ us?" was her next question. Kanna continued to stare into the distance, but she did jerk her head in the direction of the quickly disappearing camp. Kohran turned, caught sight of Ayame's usual green uniform, and understood immediately. She looked back at Kanna, who had closed her eyes. Only Kayama saw the single tear that rolled down the Vice Commander's pale cheek.

"Just forget about it, Kanna," Kohran said, trying to be her usual chipper self. "We got away, no real harm done, right?" This comment earned her a look that clearly said, _You can't be serious._ Kohran let out a low _grr_ of annoyance, and moved forward, snapping her fingers in Kanna's face, forcing the Okinawan to look at her. "What happened to 'everything'll be just fine, we'll kick some butt and go home without a scratch'? Where's the Kanna that never stops laughing?" she demanded, propping her hands on her hips. Kanna just stared at her. From the look in her eyes, Kohran could see that her words were finally penetrating Kanna's defenses.

In one last attempt, Kohran leaned forward to try a different maneuver. "You know, I'd expect this from Maria, but I never thought I'd see _you_ sink this low, _Kanna,_" she hissed in her protector's ears. A sharp intake of breath told Kohran that she had indeed pierced Kanna's armor. Not waiting for an answer, she turned and walked away to help Kayama and Ayame.

Her words rang in Kanna's mind over and over. _I never thought I'd see you think this low…_

_Well who asked her what she wanted to see? She wouldn't be so cocky if __she__ was in my place._

Who says she isn't? She was the one who got you caught.

_She didn't get a royal scolding from the Vice Commander, though!_

Idiot. Try thinking. Everyone knows how you laugh things off. Ayame probably doesn't think Kohran can handle it right now.

_And that means I can?_

She can't predict you as much. Have you ever acted like this before?

_Well, no…_

Then there's your answer. Now get over your issues that aren't even real, and let's finish this mission.

"Kanna? We're ready to go," called Ayame. Kanna smiled for the first time in a whole day (a new record), and jogged over to get her pack and battle assignment.


	7. Whiplash

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 7: Whiplash**

_**Thump.**_ _Hissss…_

Kanzaki Sumire surveyed her surroundings carefully as her Koubu retracted its parachute. She could see Kohran running to meet her, waving one arm wildly over her head. In confusion, Sumire placed her Koubu's hand lightly on the long handle on her _naginata_. "Sumire, stop, it's alright!" Kohran called. "Ayame said to tell you, we got the blueprints, but she didn't get the steam shut down, so-"

"-we have to destroy the generators," Sumire finished with her ever-sardonic tone. "Maria told us. We get the closest one to here." Kohran nodded, and asked, "How did you guys know? We thought Ayame was the only one who knew about the generators." Irritated by this slowness, Sumire drew her _naginata_. As she answered Kohran with her usual air of superiority, she swung the weapon over her head in a figure eight, so that the blade would catch the light and signal Shogeimaru to drop Kohran's Koubu. "The Kazegumi found the generators on radar," she said, as the round, green robot slowly descended by parachute, landing with another _**thump**_ next to Sumire's royal purple Koubu.

Not fazed in the least by Sumire's attitude, Kohran got into her Koubu. It was extra warm to her touch, glad to be one with her again after the long separation. "I'm sorry I was gone," Kohran told it in a soft voice. "But that's okay. We'll beat these blueprint-snatchers to a pulp." She raised her voice "Sumire, this way." The two Koubu crashed their way over to the manhole that the field squad had originally used to get belowground. Kohran pointed at it. "That's how we got in. Under here is a train tunnel that goes east and west. The generator-" she pointed to her left, "-is that way. We just have to get underground."

Sumire snapped, and, though Kohran couldn't see it, the arrogant girl's eyes widened in a flare of temper. "You mean you don't know how to get down there?" she said, her tone intense. Kohran, contrary to a tee, merely smiled inside her Koubu. "Did I say that?" she responded mildly. Waving Sumire to follow, she turned her Koubu away, and began walking toward the edge of the city, in the direction she had indicated. "What are you _doing?!"_ Sumire shouted after her. "I talked to the engineers in Ginza," Kohran called back, "and they told me an easy way for us to get down there." Sumire, about to follow her partner, stopped in her tracks. Her face twisted into a snarling mask.

"Why don't you just paint our secret on a _billboard_, Kohran!" she yelled, extremely irritated by Kohran's resistance to the usual fear inspired by her angry voice.

A prominent _hiss_ announced the opening of Kohran's Koubu. The girl lifted herself up to sit on the lip of the opening, her eyes glaring through her glasses at Sumire's Koubu. "I'm not that _stupid_, Sumire," she said. Her hurt pride was easily detectable in her voice, not quite hidden by her annoyance. "I didn't exactly _tell_ them that two _Koubu_ would be crashing through." She stopped talking for a moment, calming her agitated breaths, and her temper at the same time. Generally, she wasn't nearly as likely to blow as Sumire, but when she did, it meant trouble for anyone within range of her favorite weapon: the steam bazooka. Kohran spoke again, more casually. "Kanna and I told them that we dropped something down there, and couldn't get back up if we jumped. It was innocent enough." With a cold glare, she slipped back into her Koubu, closing the lid behind her. She kept well ahead of Sumire for the rest of the silent trek.

-

Kanna practiced while she waited for her partner. Ayame knew of the base-force's most likely plan (by now, they would know about the generators), but she had left actual assignments in Maria's hands. All Kanna had to do was wait here, relieved of her 'guard' duty over Kayama and Kohran, for whoever Maria sent. _She knows who's where,_ Kanna thought as she finished up her standard warm-up drill, _thanks to that one lucky transmission. Maybe she'll come herself. It's not exactly strategic, but, in this mission, nowhere is. Okay, Typhoon Drill. Drop sweep-kick, upward punch, feint left, step back-right, momentum spin-punch-_

Halfway through her spin, Kanna's fist was stopped in its path by a red leather gloved hand. A sharp intake of breath displayed the islander's surprise as she glanced up to see who had interrupted her, though she already knew, thanks to the kiss of scarlet leather against her taped fist.

"Hello, Kanna."

Kanna and Maria embraced like the old friends they were. The karate expert's enthusiasm even caused her friend's feet to leave the ground for a brief moment. "I was hoping you'd come this way," Kanna said with a wink. "What took you so long?" Maria shrugged, and pointed down the tunnel behind her, to the circle of light that was the passage to the outside world. "Iris is waiting."

Taking the hint, Kanna nodded, and called out, "Hey, Iris! Do I have to run all the way down there to give you a hug?"

A giant, golden Koubu appeared in a flash of yellow-white light. It hissed, and Iris clambered out as fast as she possibly could. Their smiles met as the little girl launched herself at her big friend, who caught her up in a tight bear hug. Iris snuggled into Kanna's arms for a moment, then climbed up to perch on the Okinawan's shoulder. "Jean Paul missed you, Kanna," she said softly, her eyes glowing. Only then did Kanna notice that the little bear was not present. Of course Iris would not take him into the danger of battle, what if something happened to him? Kanna chuckled, and returned her gaze to Maria, meeting emerald eyes with her own violet ones. "So, where's this generator thing? Let's go crush it."

"It is a short way from here," Maria said. She raised a hand, and once again pointed to the tunnel's entrance. "Get your Koubu and let's go." Her voice was firm; she was ready to get going and get this mission over with. Kanna saluted quickly, and took off at a run. As she passed Iris' Koubu, she tossed the little girl onto it. By the time Iris was ready, Kanna was back, inside her bright red Koubu, ready to go. Both Koubu set off after Maria's lead down the dark tunnel.

-

A sudden sounds caused Kayama to spin around, pistol ready. Before he knew it, he was aiming at a large, pale pink Koubu.

"Kayama, don't shoot, it's me!" it cried with Sakura's voice, as Vice Commander Ayame stepped between them, hands upraised. Relieved, Kayama lowered his gun. Sakura's Koubu relaxed its sudden grip on its sword hilt. "It's good to see you again, Sakura," said Ayame with a warm smile. "It's good to see you too, ma'am," the swordswoman replied, speaking loudly to be heard over the _hiss_ of steam as her Koubu opened. Sakura climbed out, saluting the Vice Commander and Captain of the Moon Division. Kayama waved her off. "Don't do that to me- I work for _you_, remember?" Sakura giggled, and put her hand down. Ayame returned Sakura's salute, then began straightening up her uniform in her brisk, businesslike manner.

"So, Sakura, how much did Maria tell you?" asked Kayama. The raven-haired young woman turned to face him straight on. "Our job is to destroy the south steam and electricity generator, then fight our way to the center of the base for the main attack," Sakura answered with confidence. Ayame nodded at her, obviously satisfied by her report/analysis. "Do you have the exact coordinates of the generator?" she asked. Sakura replied, "Yes, ma'am. The Deputy Captain said to relay to you her praise of the Kazegumi's resourcefulness, along with her greetings and good luck." While she passed on the message with a regulatory subordinate's tone, the excitement in her eyes was plain, a fact at which Kayama chuckled.

"Are you ready, Sakura? Or do you need a moment to rest?" Ayame asked, smiling. It was hard to be down about anything at all with Shinguji Sakura around. "Yes, ma'am, I'm ready. Let's go!" was the cheerful response. At Ayame's approving nod, Sakura returned to her Koubu, and the little band took off to kill the generator.

-

"_Maria, get back-"_

"_Kanna, behind you!"_

"_Iris, get out and run!"_

"_NO!"_

"_Maria, do something!"_

"_What do you suggest?!"_

"_ANYTHING!"_

_A scream schoed around the chamber that already rang with shouts and gunshots._

"_NO- IRIS!"_

"_You filthy _govnyuk_!"_

_More shots, more shouting. And then-_

"_Maria, can you get it?!"_

"_I don't- yes! Hold them off for a few sec-"_

"_Gotcha! Take that, you-"_

_The entire vicinity filled with smoke and fire as the generator exploded._

"_Kanna!"_

"_I know, I know, I can't reach her!"_

"_Maria! __**Kanna!**__"_

"_Just hold on, Iris!"_

"_Kanna, look out!"_

"Oh, just get out of my way, Kohran," Sumire said angrily, sweeping the green Koubu aside. Kohran did not protest- why should she care who destroyed the generator, in the end? Besides, destroying something would do Sumire some good.

Sumire faced the iron box, _naginata_ in hand. She raised the weapon above her head, and brought it down in a flash, neatly cleaving the thing in two. Steam spewed forth, and sparks. Kohran was about to suggest that they move back, when the remaining halves of the generator blew up in their faces.

_The chamber vibrated for a splitsecond as Kanna's attacker collided with the wall at a ferocious speed._

"_Iris, NO!"_

_Maria Enfield went off as she hit the floor, the bullet missing Kanna by sheer inches. The Russian herself blacked out for a brief moment._

_By the time her vision returned, their enemies- and Iris –had disappeared._

"Alright, Sakura, let's get this done." The pale pink Koubu drew its blade, hissing, and took position. "Both of you stay directly behind me," she warned, and Kayama and Ayame took cover. Sakura raised the sword, and swung it in a sweeping sideways arc, splitting the generator horizontally. Luckily, Ayame and Kayama, hidden behind the Koubu, were not hit by any flying debris.

"That's two of the four for sure," said Kayama, as he stood straight and peered backward down the tunnel, toward the rendezvous point where they were to meet up with Sumire and Kohran, before heading on to the base center. "Shall we go, then?" he asked, looking at Ayame's shadowed face. The Vice Commander nodded.

"Let's go."

-

All was quiet for about thirty minutes. Kohran, Kayama, Sakura, Sumire, and Ayame sat in a circle, not a one of them speaking. Where were Maria, Kanna, and Iris? _They should have checked in a while ago- where could they be?_ thought Sakura. Her question was almost immediately answered, in the form of Maria and Kanna themselves. But not Iris.

"What happened?" Ayame asked, her voice sharp. The two oldest members of the Hanagumi were coated in just as much dust as the others, thanks to the exploding generators, but Maria's black eye and the bloody cut across Kanna's bicep proved that there was more to the story.

"We were attacked," Maria said wearily. Her voice was thick, and tired, as if her mind was fuzzy. "Wakiji. Probably around eleven or twelve of them. They took Iris." The entire group gasped. Ayame shushed them with a wave of her hand, her anxious eyes fixed on the Deputy Captain. "And the generator?" she asked. Maria nodded, and helped Kanna (who was dead on her feet) to take a seat next to Kohran. "We have to do something," rasped the islander. The rest of the force murmured general assent. Ayame stood up, resuming quiet again.

"We have destroyed all four generators, but one of our strongest members has been kidnapped. We must regroup, and return to fight again." She paused, thinking, then spoke up again. "Sakura, Maria, Kanna, and Kohran, you four will return to the Imperial Theater. Kanna and Maria, your job is to rest and get as well and prepared as you can. Sakura, you're to take care of Captain Ohgami, and if he's up to it, fill him in on the details so that he can assist the Kazegumi. Kohran, continue the unfinished Koubu repairs. We need our fighting force at full strength, back here, together, by four o'clock tomorrow. Then we will continue our attack as planned. Kayama, Sumire, and I will remain here. Is that clear?" Everyone nodded; Kanna's head drifted tiredly to Kohran's shoulder.

"Move out."


	8. Rush

**Author's Note: Hey guys. Sorry this chapter's a bit short than the rest...writers block ate me up for months, and I ended up with THIS. Ugh. I'm disgusted with myself, really. But no worries! Decent writing is coming soon, I promise. WRITERS BLOCK SHALL NOT WIN!  
Love you all,  
Auryn**

* * *

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 8: Rush  
**

The Kazegumi watched silently as Maria, Kanna, Sakura, and Kohran filed past them. Even the childishly outspoken Tsubaki did not inquire as to the origin of Kanna's and Maria's injuries. The four veterans dispersed quietly. Kohran went immediately down to the Koubu repair room, Sakura headed upstairs to Ohgami's room, and Kanna disappeared into the kitchen. Maria locked herself in her own room, and collapsed onto her bed without even bothering to take off more than her boots. She sletp soundly for about two hours before she was roused by a knock on the door.

"What- who is it?" she called, her voice sharper than usual. _"Maria, it's Kasumi,"_ came the reply. _"Please, open the door."_ Had it been someone who would want to talk, Maria would have refused, but Kasumi was the most understanding of the Kazegumi. She was okay. Maria got up, throwing off her uniform jacket, and opened her door. There was Kasumi, her light purple kimono neat and tidy as usual, holding a tray of food. Maria stepped aside and let her in, flipping on the lights. "What do you want?" she asked roughly as Kasumi deposited her tray on Maria's desk. "Kohran wants you to come down after you eat," Kasumi told her with a gentle smile, "-and help her finish calibrating your Koubu." Her voice was casual, which, oddly enough, was a comfort to the tall Russian, who listened with a receptive ear. "Tell her I will be there shortly," Maria told her, asnd did not move or speak again until Kasumi had nodded and left.

Maria stood up, stretched, and crossed over to the desk where the tray of food lay. Most of the items on it were her favorite Japanese foods, with one or two brave attempts at Russian cuisine. In the middle of the tray was a small canister of medicinal cream- for her eye, Maria supposed. She applied it carefully, and was relieved when the throbbing pain eased. Then she began on the food, quietly chuckling at the Russian dishes, and savoring the Japanese ones. She ate a bit of everything, but left plenty on the tray, as usual. When she was finished, Maria changed her clothes, retrieved her Enfield, and headed for the Koubu repair room.

* * *

_That's twice in a row I've screwed up,_ Kanna thought as she pounded the crap out of a punching bag. _Twice I've hindered our mission. I won't do it a third time._

"Kanna?"

The karate master paused and looked over to where Sakura stood in the doorway. "Captain Ohgami is awake," she said. "He wants to talk to you."

_The Captain wants to talk to me?_ Kanna wondered, wiping the sweat from her face. "Okay," she told Sakura. "I'll be there in a minute."

True to her word, Kanna showed up just a few scant moments later. Ohgami looked much better than before- the color had returned to his face, and he no longer shuddered spontaneously. He smiled when he saw Kanna.

"_Kanna_," he said softly.

"Hey, Chief," the tall woman replied, her volume no louder than his. "Feelin' better?" He nodded, falling back on the pillows a bit. "Sakura- told me what happened," he said. "How they- they took Iris." Kanna's breath caught in her throat, and she looked away, refusing to meet her Captain's eyes.

Ohgami noticed.

"You think it's your fault," he observed raspily. Kanna nearly went off on him before she realized that he hadn't denied it. He knew how she felt. After all, _he_ was their Captain. He must have felt responsible for every wrong move the combat troop had ever made. And how many times had Kanna herself told him he was being stupid, that it wasn't entirely up to him, that they'd just try twice as hard next time?

"Yeah….I guess I do feel a bit responsible," Kanna confessed. "I was supposed to watch out for Iris, and I let some idiot Wakiji kidnap her." Her tone wasn't harsh, as it had been with Kohran. She only sounded disappointed in herself. Kanna was a winner, and letting comrades get kidnapped was _not_ in the game plan.

"You weren't the only one, Kanna."

That soft voice was Maria, standing in the doorway. Behind her, Kohran's vibrant purple braids were visible. Kanna was relieved to see Maria- talking to her was like talking to Ohgami. Maria had been Captain once, she knew how it felt. But Kohran? Kohran knew nothing. She understood…nothing.

Or at least, that's what Kanna thought.

"Kanna, you're not still upset about that, are you?" Kohran asked, a little bit incredulously. That got Kanna angry. "Shut up about the stuff you don't understand, okay Kohran?" she snapped. Right there was where everything fell apart. Kohran stepped around Maria, her arms folded over her chest, Sumire-style. She didn't look angry, or annoyed…just distant and smug, like Sumire did when she was trying to make a point. "I see what you mean, Kanna," she said sighingly. "I can't possibly understand what you're talking about- feeling responsible and all that. It's not like everyone looks at _me_ when their Koubu doesn't work right."

That stung Kanna. She hadn't even thought of that aspect. "Face it, Kanna," Kohran went on. "Without each other to be responsible for different parts of any operation, we would be what we are. We wouldn't be a _team_."

"Kohran is right, Kanna," Maria said quietly, eyes trained on the floor. "We all help out in our ways. We do understand how you feel. That doesn't mean we can condone it." That hurt too. What was she talking about?

At least Ohgami was there to, er, 'clear it up'. "Kanna, the team needs you now more than ever. Of this entire operation, no one has seen and experienced more of it than you have, which means that _they need you._ And they don't need you moping and feeling sorry for yourself. They need you working to get Iris back." His voice wasn't harsh or cruel, but his words were. Of all four people in the room, only Sakura had stayed silent. She had one hand on Ohgami's shoulder, keeping him from rising. In her other hand she held a turquoise ribbon, wrinkled from being tied up in some cute little girl's hair.

_Sakura,_ Kanna thought, dred creeping up her spine. _I forgot how close she and Iris are…she's never this quiet. I bet…_

Kanna held up a hand to silence Kohran, nodded understanding. Then she turned to Sakura. "Hey, Sakura," she said. The small young woman jumped a mile, surprised by Kanna's speech. Obviously her thoughts had been elsewhere. "When we get back down there, we're going to get Iris back, okay? I promise." She winked at Sakura, who smiled uncertainly.

"Alright, Kanna. Let's do it."

* * *

Ayame paced. She paced and paced in a constant pattern, her footprints forming a distinct ellipse in the dirt. Sumire was looking out several meters away, just out of earshot. As she walked, Ayame kept up a conversation with Kayama, who sat on the ground, cleaning his gun.

"Ayame, it's not your fault Kanna's a bit off. You know that as well as-"

"You didn't hear her when we were talking. I only spoke to her as I would to any other member of the troop-"

"Then why do you feel so guilty?"

"I don't know! I didn't say anything different than I would have said to Maria or Ohgami!"

"But Maria and Ohgami know what it's like to be in command. They know how to accept criticism from a commanding officer. Kanna's never been in that situation; maybe it's just because she's not used to it, she reacted strangely."

"Was I supposed to think of that before I said anything?"

"That's up to you."

"Kayama, you're no help."

Good-natured as ever, Kayama simply shrugged. "Then go talk to Sumire, if you think she'd understand. I can give you one tip, though, officer to officer. Try comparing Kanna's reaction with the standard you might get from saying the same thing to Sumire, or Iris, or Sakura. They're as far from command as she is. Maybe it'll help."

Ayame stopped her pacing, and looked at him questioningly. Kayama just laughed. "Hey, I have subordinates too, you know." Ayame groaned and flapped a hand at him to shut him up, then took a seat on a nearby rock. Her thoughts began to drift.

"_Sumire, what did you think you were doing?!"_

"_I was doing what was best for the Troop, __**Vice Commander.**__"_

"_Did it ever occur to you that orders are meant to be followed?"_

"_This was an exceptional situation."_

Ayame could almost hear her sniff in dissatisfaction. That was Sumire for you.

"_Why didn't you stick to the plan, Iris?"_

"_But she was going to be hurt!"_

"_Was there anyone else who could have helped?"_

"_I don't know…"_

"_Next time, give it some thought before you do anything."_

Tears filled the eyes of the invisible Iris as she turned and ran away, crying.

Oh God, Kayama _was_ right.

* * *

They returned the next afternoon.

"Maria Tachibana, reporting for duty!"

"Ri Kohran, reporting for duty!"

"Shinguji Sakura, reporting for duty!"

"Kirishima Kanna, reporting for duty!"

"Imperial Flower Combat Troop….move out!"


	9. Conviction

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 9: Conviction**

It was practically a bad Western film- they stood there, silent, in ranks before their ready and waiting Koubus, waiting for the enemy. They had to know they were coming, after the generators' destruction….if they hadn't had a total blackout, Satani's forces must have experienced some sort of power outage. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

Kanna itched for the fight to begin. She wanted to get Iris back. She wanted revenge on Setsuna and Resatsu for capturing them. She wanted to take Satani down for stealing Kohran's plans in the first place. Kanna stood there, fists clenched, seething with rage, building up, getting ready to let loose on the fight.

Silence stretched as far as they could hear in all directions.

Kanna jumped when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Kanna, calm down," Ayame said with a brief smile. Then her face returned to its usual businesslike expression. "I wanted to take the chance to apologize to you, Kanna. You were working for your team, and you had no way to know that I was okay. It is only natural for team members to look out for one another. I-" She was stopped when Kanna held up a hand. "Save it, Ayame. S'alright." Her gaze was not focused on the Vice Commander's face, but rather, over her shoulder, into the distance. Ayame turned around to see what Kanna was looking at, just as she heard Maria's commanding call. "Vice Commander! Enemies approaching!"

All of the Hanagumi got into their Koubus and took up their positions, rattling off the roll call. "Deputy Captain Maria Tachibana, ready." "Shinguji Sakura, ready." "Kanzaki Sumire, ready." Maria, Kanna, and Sakura stood next to each other as the first rank, with Sumire and Kohran behind them in windows, to block any breakthroughs. Kayama was behind them, using their primitive radio system to keep in touch with the Kazegumi and Captain Ohgami. Ayame returned to her place, almost in front of Sakura, near the turn of the tunnel that led to the holding cells. Her job was to collect Iris. For the first time in years, Ayame wore a sword at her side.

The enemies also came in ranks. The five black Koubu led, in a single shoulder-to-shoulder line, facing the Hanagumi Koubu. So far, it was only the black Koubu, but not a single one of the Combat Troop was fooled. Satani was here, somewhere, and one or more of his cronies, at least.

"Hold," Ayame called, seeing Kanna's Koubu start forward. The karate master halted, obviously annoyed. The fist of her Koubu's arm clenched. The Vice Commander ignored it, and appraised the situation for a brief moment before shouting commands.

"Maria, far left! Sakura, far right! Sumire, center left, Kohran, center right! And Kanna, take dead center! Move out!"

"YES MA'AM!" came the rushing answer as five Koubus moved forward to engage in battle.

* * *

Maria began by shooting out her enemy's light, which caused the black Koubu to stumble, thrashing out blindly in an attempt to hit her. She moved to the side, timing her attack very, very carefully. To do this right, she would only get one shot.

Sumire charged forward with a yell, brandishing the enlargened Koubu-version of her _naginata_. She swept it in a quick figure eight, slicing a steaming X in the front of her adversary. It reeled back, then came forward, planning to attack her in revenge, but she was too quick for it. Sumire raised the weapon above her head and brought it crashing down, just a she had done for the generator. The outcome was very nearly the same. The enemy Koubu screeched, and steam poured forth as it split neatly into two halves. Luckily, unlike the generator, these pieces did not proceed to explode.

Sakura danced forward, following Sumire's example and trying for a figure-eight pattern to help her become victorious. However, with her blade, it didn't work quite as well as with Sumire's _naginata_. By simply raising its arms in turns, the black Koubu that faced her was able to black Sakura's blows with ease. With a small grunt of determination, Sakura settled for a different tactic. She backed up a few steps, then took advantage of the black Koubu's confusion to run forward, leap, and bury her sword almost to the hilt in the Koubu's lid, into its controls. With a wild screech, it fell, and remained motionless.

_ Is it just me, or are these things too easy to beat?_ Kohran thought as she took aim with her bazooka. She shot quickly, which sent her enemy flying backwards to hit a stone wall. Then it exploded. _Our Koubu aren't nearly this uneffective! Did Satani change the plans more than we thought?_

Kohran was the only one with this train of thought, however. Kanna was busy pounding the tar out of her adversary, until it was so warped by her brute strength that it could do no more than twitch on the ground in an attempt to move its twisted metal shape. The Okinawan turned her attention to Maria, who struggled to get her shot lined up. Kanna could see what Maria was aiming to do- she planned to shoot the light, where she had hit it before, in the same bullet hole, which would be a weak point. However, the black Koubu she faced wouldn't hold still long enough for her to shoot, and it was harder for her to aim with her Koubu's arm than with her own. Kanna decided to help.

She threw herself at Maria's opponent from behind, tackling it and putting it in a swift headlock. (Yes, it is possible to be swift in a Koubu.) As soon as the beast was unable to move, Maria shot. The black Koubu staggered in Kanna's grip as its inner controls were torn apart by Maria's bullet. In just one short moment, the last of the black Koubu was incapacitated. Now it was time to turn their attention to the _real_ enemies.

A high-pitched, simply _evil_ cackling filled the air, followed by a snarl from Sumire. _"Such good work you do, little dog!" _came the hauntingly piercing voice of Crimson Miroku, as she appeared, floated elegantly above the remains of the black Koubu that Sumire had destroyed. A terrible glint filled her eyes._ "But I'm afraid that this sort of behavior simply won't do."_ With no sense of patience, Sumire threw her Koubu forward with a yell and began swiping at the death-defying spirit woman. Miroku danced out of her way, and the familiar sounds of battle banter echoed through the tunnel.

Kohran was an inch from jumping in to help Sumire, when she felt a large, heavy force crash into her Koubu from behind. She pitched forward, and rolled over to see Rasetsu the Lumbering Brute standing over her, his fisted hands raised above him as if he planned to bring them down like a hammer. He roared. Kohran glanced back at Sumire, but her vision of the fight was blocked by a pale pink Koubu. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it!" Sakura called, and went to assist Sumire (if the snobby Kanzaki girl would let her). Kohran turned her attention to the situation at hand.

_Bang._ With a single shot, and a roar, Rasetsu was gone from her. He crouched on the ground, clutching at one of his hands that oozed the black, sticky version of blood that all of Satani's minions had in common. _But I didn't shoot-_ Kohran thought, then realized that the second shadow in her Koubu's peripheral vision was Maria's Koubu, cannon-arm upraised.

_Serves him especially right,_ Kanna thought as she watched, having seen how that cut across the brute's hand had occurred. Maria had shot at a tricky angle, so that the bullet sliced the back of his hand from the base of his thumb to halfway up his wrist. Not that everyone in the Hanagumi knew it, but Maria had a scar exactly like that on her own right hand. Had the justice been planned, or was it just a perk?

_"No!"_ Kanna tensed and spun around when she heard _that_ voice. "_No, no, NO!"_ screamed Setsuna. _"Get up, you useless fool, get UP! Attack them! Now!"_ He disappeared to avoid Kanna's quick punch in his direction. His voice still echoed everywhere, even over the sounds of Sumire's screaming at Crimson Miroku. _"Have to try harder than that, little doll! Otherwise someone just might not get HURT!"_ He punctuated his last word by appearing directly in front of her and whooshing toward her face in an attempt to make her stumble back.

Sakura had told her about this. Kanna planted her feet, let out a standard Okinawan war cry, and stood her ground. Setsuna was forced to veer sharply to the right to avoid hitting her, his plan having failed, which brought him directly into Kanna's grasp. She brought her Koubu's arm down on top of him, pinning the little demon-boy to the ground. Then, before he could disappear again, she ran him through with her claw arm.

With a choked cry, Setsuna vanished. They knew he would be back, but he would be out of the picture for now, and probably for a while. According to Iris and Kohran's past studies with the Kazegumi in evaluating enemy power, he might even be out for the rest of this battle. Certainly Rasetsu would be- he was such a baby.

* * *

The moment she saw that the Hanagumi were hard at work vanquishing the enemy, Ayame ran for the holding cells. She knew exactly how to get there, thanks to her previous exploring and Kayama's detailed explanation. Her breath and pace quickened at the same moment as she ran, pistol held low to her side. The sounds of the battle followed her, and she briefly begged whatever gods there may or may not be to get the Hanagumi out of this one safely.

_"Where are you going, Ayame?"_

That cold, yet somehow warm voice sent chills up her spine. Ayame turned to face the man she once loved, the man who had turned to evil ways simply because he wanted the power. The man Yamazaki Shinnouske who had been destroyed by Aoi Satani.

She could not speak. Why could she never speak when he was around? Why was it so difficult to cast Yamazaki from her mind, and fight against Satani without a second thought, as Yoneda did?

Ayame raised her pistol.

Satani's dark laughter enveloped her. _"We've been down this road already, Ayame…you have no will to fight me."_ Ayame growled. "Is that what you think, Major Yamazaki?" she said, her voice suddenly the strong, confident, iron voice that she used as Vice Commander. She cocked the gun and aimed straight at the man's forehead; her target, the decorative metal brooch that held his long silvery hair out of his face, revealing his cold, dark eyes that held, she saw, a flicker of the warm golden light that used to be there.

"No!"

With that scream, Ayame pulled the trigger. _Bang._

Satani let out a scream of rage, but he was not finished. At least Ayame had struck her target. His hair now hung limp on either side of his face, stained a blackish-red from the new wound in the dead center of his head.

The demon-posessed man rushed at her. Ayame stumbled back, reaching for the sword she wore at her belt. She drew it, blade glowing a steady, pale blue, and swung it an in horizontal line. Satani, still retaining Yamazaki's sword expertise, danced out of the way, drawing his own blade. Ayame attacked ferociously. Satani's calm and expressionless defense was irritating, it reminded her of fencing with Maria. The two combatants danced elegantly, swords flashing. Unlike Sumire and Miroku, these two were silent for the majority of their battle.

"_Ayame, stop this foolishness,"_ Satani crooned. _"You can't stop me. Quit waiting on my precious little Koubu to come to your rescue. Or hadn't you noticed…"_ He began to attack, rather than defend, _"…that I know everything about them?"_

The Vice Commander said nothing. She didn't have breath to waste. This was tiring.

"AYAMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

That scream was neither Ayame nor her opponent- so then, who was it? Ayame and Satani stopped their sword dancing at once, as a bright yellow glow enveloped the Vice Commander. Energy filled her- spirit energy, like she hadn't felt since the Kouma War.

Ayame threw herself forward with a new strength, only to find her blade blocked by Satani's- _hand?!_ It sparkled with purple and black fire, like a wall against her. However, that wasn't the end of it. Ayame felt her newfound energy being drained, being leeched away. Her connection to Iris pulsed as the little girl tried to feed the Vice Commander more energy, only to have it sucked away by the dark powers of Ten-Kai. "No, Iris," Ayame called. She tried to make it loud, but her voice came as a whisper….nevertheless, the energy feed broke away.

"_And so it begins,"_ Ayame heard Satani hiss before her energy was completely gone. She fell to her knees, unable even to stand. It was only seconds later that she fell unconscious.

Kayama was coming to see what had become of Ayame and Iris when he stumbled across the Vice Commander herself, out cold, and alone. Her face was as pale as death. Kayama stepped back in surprise, then steeled himself, picked up Ayame's limp form, and began walking with her down the tunnel that had been her route, watching out for signs of danger. He was strong- Kayama only needed one arm to hold Ayame over his shoulder. In his free hand, he held a pistol at the ready.

Where were the enemies? Miroku, Setsuna, and Rasetsu were accounted for, but where was Satani?

"Kayama!"

The spy turned at the voice, only to see that it was little Iris who called his name. she was in the holding cell next to where he, Kohran, and Kanna had escaped. She was pressed up against the gridded bars, eyes desperate, dress and hair insurmountably mussed.

"Iris! Are you alright?" Kayama asked, rushing over to take hold of her hand through the bars. Even then, his mind raced with ideas on how to release her from the cell. He didn't have a metal file this time, or Kanna's brute strength. How would they get out of this one? He laid Ayame on the floor, propped against the bars for support, as he tried to think of a solution.

Suddenly, Iris' eyes went wide. "Get down!" came a cold, familiar voice, and Kayama and Iris both ducked, and Kayam yanked the Vice Commander out of the way. _Bang bang bang bang bang bang._ With a full ammo clip gone, Iris was free. Maria had shot out the edges, as Kohran had done with her file. With the combined strength of Maria and Kayama (and a LOT of tugging) they managed to get the corner free enough for Iris to get out. "This is a lot easier when Kanna's around," Kayama muttered. Maria said nothing, only took Iris in her arms like the child she was. The three of them began to run back toward the raging battle in the main tunnel's entrance.

Iris wrapped her arms around Maria's neck, burying her face in the Russian woman's lapel as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Ayame ayame ayame ayame ayame…" she murmured repeatedly. A pale yellow glow surrounded Iris as she tried to give the Vice Commander enough spirit energy to awaken.

Her efforts were stopped cold, though, when they reached the tunnel. Smoke was everywhere, none of them could see a thing. Kayama and Maria exchanged a worried glance, before Maria called out.

"Flower Assault Unit, attention!" The usual roll call did not come. No voice was heard, save one.

"Maria!"

Kayam and the Deputy Captain rushed toward Kanna's voice. They found her Koubu at the edge of the smoke-filled chamber (which was slowly beginning to clear), on the ground, just extracting herself from beneath a thoroughly mangled Wakiji body. "About time you guys got here," she grumbled. "Now what's this about attention? We got a new enemy?"

"No," Maria said quietly, pointing. The smoke was dispersing, and they could see the battlefield now. Sakura's, Sumire's, and Kohran's Koubus lay unmoving, each half-destroyed. Not one of the villains was anywhere to be seen. Kanna quickly got out of her Koubu. "What happened to the Vice Commander? Guys, what's goin' on?"

"The Vice Commander is unconscious, I suspect by Satani's doing," Maria said, glancing at Kayama, who nodded. "What happened here?"

"There was this big explosion," Kanna said. "Then everything got quiet. I don't know what did it, but I guess we know what it did." She indicated their defeated comrades, who had not answered the call.

Kayama looked at Maria. "Since we have no communication available to reach the Commander, the Vice Commander is unconscious, and the Captain back at headquarters, you're in charge, Deputy Captain. What do we do?" Maria stared right back at him. She opened her mouth to answer, but someone else did it for her.

_"What? You can't come up with a simple two-minute tactic without your beloved commanders? I'm disappointed."_ Satani appeared, hovering above the battle wreckage.

Kanna immediately whipped around and struck a battle stance, glaring at Satani. Maria had her pistol raised, despite Iris trembling in her arms. Kayama was likewise burdened with Ayame, but drew his weapon nonetheless. Satani's dark laughter echoed around the chamber. _"This should be most exciting,"_ he said. He drew his glittering sword, which bore no trace of the black lightning that usually decorated it. He smiled, his expression sinister.

Satani rushed at Maria and Iris. Maria let loose one shot, realized it was futile, and turned away, curling her form over Iris to protect the girl. She took the hilt of Satani's blade to the side of her head and fell, as lifeless as the Vice Commander, who now lay on the ground as Kayama shot round after round at Satani. The demon-man dodged it all. He stretched out a hand, and black lightning began to flicker around it. Satani let out a raging cry, and threw the collected black magic at Kayama. Kayama shouted, and was down, unable to continue fighting.

"Kanna!" he called, forcing the words out through the pain of Satani's attack. "Kanna, you have to finish him!"

Until now, Kanna had stood, frozen, unable to find something to do as her comrades were incapacitated. She had no weapons but her bare fists, and now, she was prepared to use them. Satani stood, staring at Iris, who had worked herself out from underneath Maria's crumpled form. She looked terrified, her arms wrapped around herself.

"Hey you! Mr. Fashion-Statement-Gone-Wrong!" Kanna called tauntingly. Satani turned, distracted. "Yeah, you!" Kanna went on. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" With that, Kanna yelled and pitched herself forward, feet-first. Her soles slammed into Satani's chest, throwing him backward. Satani growled and his sword flashed, cutting deep into Kanna's right ankle. Kanna landed on her left foot, facing Satani. Iris backed away. It was one-on-one.

A grin spread across Satani's face. "_You really think you can defeat me unarmed?"_ he said. _"Really, my dear, I'd have thought you were smarter than that." _Kanna just shrugged, and her grin matched his. "No one ever said I was the brains of the operation." She raised her fists and came at Satani, trying to pound him from every direction possible. He dodged most of the time, being excellent of reflex, but the Okinawan warrior did manage to land a few blows.

What Satani didn't realize that, in his dodging, Kanna had managed to back him up against a wall. "Nowhere to run, tough guy," she said wickedly. He glared at her and raised his hand, calling the black magic. Kanna went to hit him before he could do anything, but when she raised her arm, she found herself glowing a bright, steady yellow. The golden sheen of Iris' _reiryoku_ covered her from head to toe. Satani's magic grew stronger, and lightning flickered around both of his hands.

"Uh oh," Kanna muttered. "Might need a bit more than that, kiddo…" She closed her eyes, willing the spirit energy to grow stronger.

_I was just wondering, sir, why you picked me for the field operation. I'm no spy…_

_We're gonna kick some bad guy ass, get your blueprints back, and go home without a single scratch for Sumire to make fun of, okay?__…_

_So I got us caught, did I?__…_

_I am NOT a deserter…_

_Isn't it enough that I've done nothing but screw things up since we got here?…_

_I was supposed to watch out for Iris…_

Kanna's yellowy shell began to change to a fiery orange…then it darkened to red…

_Kirishima Kanna, reporting for duty!_

Completely encased in the red glow of her spirit energy, Kanna let out the most fearsome Okinawan battle cry she held in her. The flaming red of her hair flashed as her fists moved with the speed of lightning. Satani brought up his magic-covered hands and attempted to block her. His two hands met Kanna's as she grabbed his wrists…

Pain shot through her. Kanna yelled and writhed, but didn't let go. She held her ground, fighting back with every ounce of strength she possessed. She gripped Satani with the force of iron, and they were locked together. His blade fell to the ground. Kanna's force grew stronger, and the black lightning of Satani's dark magic was drowned in the red fire that surrounded the martial artist.

Unfortuntealy sheer brute force wouldn't be enough, Kanna knew that. No amount of bruising could destroy this demonic spirit that possessed Satani. She had to fully defeat him, she'd need a weapon…

_"Let go, you wretched girl, before I destroy you!" _Satani growled, redoubling his efforts, but Kanna beat him back. "I don't think so, your High and Mightiness!" she told him, sweating from the pain of his attack, but she held strong. This would have been so much easier if only she didn't need to arm herself…but what if she didn't?

_Satani himself can be the weapon,_ Kanna thought to herself, a grin on her face. There were sharp objects everywhere from the battle wreckage of less than an hour before, and the force of a fatal collision could come from either direction.

And there…just waiting for her…Sakura's Koubu had fallen, blade up.

Kanna wrenched Satani around by his wrists, taking control of the struggle, He tried to pull away, but she followed him mercilessly, dancing him backward farther and farther.

"Any last words, Mister Self-Denial?" she grunted, readying herself.

Satani spat dark blood at the ground- the force of Kanna's attack had caused his nose to bleed black. _"I will see you destroyed!"_ he hissed, but Kanna just shook her head. "That wasn't the right line."

She pulled together all of her strength, and in one enormous shove, impaled the demon-man upon the upturned blade of Aritaka, the spirit sword.

Satani shrieked, his scream the highest-pitched Kanna had ever heard (and that was with Kohran living at the theatre). All at once, his entire body became encased in black and violet flames. It was so bright that Kanna had to turn her face away. There was an explosion, and Kanna was knocked to the ground…

When she looked up, Satani was gone. All that remained was a blackened spot on the ground, and slowly clearing smoke.


	10. Resolution

**A Passion for Fire**

**Chapter 10: Resolution**

Satani wasn't dead., He wasn't destroyed…but this one attack had been fought off, with Kirishima Kanna at the head of the game. The black Koubu that Satani created were destroyed entirely, and the Imperial Flower Combat Troop returned to the Imperial Theatre.

Sakura, Sumire, and Kohran suffered minor concussions and were up and moving within a day. The Vice Commander and Deputy Captain were both victim to severe concussions, and Ayame took several days to recover her former strength. Despite suggestions for more rest, Maria was up two days after their return, demanding that Sumire and Kohran help her return to her full capabilities with both weapons and Koubu. Iris was shaken, but otherwise fine, and Kayama seemed to be uninjured (with the exception of a slight burn mark at the center of his chest). Even Ohgami's fever had slipped away. He, the three members of the Wind Division, and Iris took care of the other troop members. Commander Yoneda trusted care of Ayame to no one but Kayama, who accepted the task as cheerfully as ever. Kanna watched over Maria, and took up a regime much like Sakura's, never leaving the Russian woman's room.

* * *

The day after the Combat Troop's return to the Imperial Theatre, Maria was still confined to her room, with only Kanna for constant company. That was how she liked it.

Kanna sat in Maria's desk chair, marvelling at the ship-in-a-bottle that sat on the small shelf of the desk. "How the heck did they get that in there?" she kept muttering to herself. "That's ridiculous, they cheated…"

"Kanna," Maria said with a quiet chuckle, "-they did not cheat. It simply requires more patience than you have ever displayed."

"No arguments there," agreed the Okinawan, pushing the bottle aside and returning her attention to her companion. They didn't say anything, at first, but that was okay. Kanna didn't mind silence if it was with Maria.

"I never did tell you what I thought of that battle, did I?" Maria asked thoughtfully. Kanna shook her head. "Nope."

Maria sighed. "I was very impressed by your actions, Kanna. Without you, the Flower Division would have fallen to the Kuronosu Council without question."

Silence stretched between them again. Kanna knew she couldn't agree without sounding more arrogant than she wanted to be, and she couldn't disagree without being completely wrong. What did one say in a situation like this?

"I wish I had done as well as you."

Wait, _what was that?_

"Maria, you did great, you were amazing- !"

The Russian drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs. "No, Kanna, I was not. I shared the blame with you for letting Iris be kidnapped, and I did nothing to stop Satani. I would like to think that I would have done more, given another chance."

Kanna shrugged, and searched for words.

"You were…you were just busy, you were lookin' out for Iris, it was no big deal. Anyone else would've done the same thing, except maybe Sumire."

Maria's gaze was trained on her bed sheets, not on Kanna's face. Her thoughts seemed distant.

"Perhaps my actions were justified…still, I feel as though there is something missing, something I became careless and overlooked," Maria worried solemnly.

Kanna stood up, looking down at her friend.

"Hey Maria?"

"Yes?"

"You were great. Now shut up, Deputy Captain."

With a laugh, Kanna threw open the door and called, "Hey Kasumi! Can we get some food in here?"

Kasumi grinned as she heard Maria's dark laughter echoing Kanna's out the door.

This was what the Imperial Flower Combat Troop really was.

THE END


End file.
